Painted Wicker Basket

We've had this wicker laundry basket for 7 years now and it has served us well. The cracks are starting to show but we're not ready to give up on it yet. I painted it recently so that I can still get a little more milage out of it.

Because of the cracks in the wood, the spray paint couldn't give me a smooth finish. Also, the paint tends to drip over the rounded wooden segments so I had to make sure that the inside and outside colours match up.

I first cleaned it and let it dry for a full day. Then I first spray painted the inside in grey. I gave it an hour between each coat.

For the outside, I tried using masking tape to separate the colours, but because of the gap between the segments, colours tended to flow. So I just stuck to spraying from 4 inches away which gave me good enough control to not go (too much) over the line.

I've used white, metallic grey (on the inside and edges), and gold (which looks much like the original colour), and it is back in service.

Growing Lemongrass from Stalk

Recently I tried making a lemongrass cooler at home and it turned out refreshing. I also learned that I could easily grow my own batch of lemongrass with the store-bought stalks.

I took 2 stalks, chopped off the green leaves, and removed the tough outer layers of the stalk without damaging the root. These I kept in a glass filled with 2 inches of water which I changed everyday.

Within a week, the stalks started sprouting some roots which made me very happy. I then planted it in soil. In another 10 days it started sprouting baby stalks from the old stalks. I was ecstatic. I would be making a batch of lemongrass cooler in another 2 weeks with home-grown produce.

One thing I failed to consider though was my cat. I would have assumed that citrus would repel him but apparently Lemongrass has a catnip-like effect on most cats. Who knew?

I'm still hoping that some more sprouts appear. I can keep it out of kitty reach for it to grow enough to accommodate both our needs. Or it will be back to square one.

Antler Project

Deer shed their antlers or lose them in territorial fights so it is quite common to find one lying around where there are herds of them.

This particular one had been at my parents' home for a decade and when I brought it home I felt that the natural tone just blended in and wasn't noticeable. It needed some punch. After a quick browsing of colour palettes, I settled on Payne's grey, magenta, and gold in acrylic. I found bottled colours easier to apply than spray paint. 

I used masking tape to demarcate the colours but because of the ridges on the antler there were small gaps because of which some colour leaked through. Don't worry too much. After the paint dries, just touch up the lines with a fine brush. I used 3 to 4 coats of paint. Remember to wait overnight for the paint to dry before removing the tape and applying it to another painted area.

All you need is love

Finally made a coloured Zentangle and moved on from the small squares. Rummy and Bing make an appearance as well.

UPDATE: Framed at it's new home!

The Painted Table

Most of the furniture in our home is solid wood. I like natural wood finishes but in a small space, it becomes too dull to just see shades of brown everywhere. So, they're all getting painted!

The study table was the first actual paint project. (The wicker seats don't count because, well, a 2 year old can use a can of spray paint.) I don't have a 'before' picture as Husband got excited and started sanding the thing before I could take one. Here's an image I got from the net - it kinda looks like what we had, but with drawers.

It took us about 2 hours to sand the whole thing with a medium grit (120) sandpaper just enough so that the varnish was scraped. Then came the wood primer mixed with a bit of turpentine so that it is easier to spread. We used paint brushes to get some texture on the wood - I didn't want it too smooth since I was going for the distressed look, which was why we didn't sand the table very evenly. We gave it about 8 hours to dry before the 2nd coat. We barely used half a litre of primer with 200ml of turpentine.

Then the painting started after another 8  hours. We used light teal. It's a beautiful and bright color that would've looked even better with a better wall colour. But for now, the dirty cream is what we're stuck with. Husband was insisting we use a putty to smoothen out the roughness, but like I said, I wanted some texture, and that's what we stuck to. It took us two coats of paint, with each coat drying for about 8 hours. (The paint was also diluted in turpentine. We had to get 1 litre of paint as that is the minimum size being sold, so we have with a lot leftover.)

The drawers were painted bright yellow. This paint was the 'signboard yellow' easily available in small amounts and I didn't have to mix any thinner. I just made sure I mixed it well in the can as the bulk of the pigment settles at the bottom of the container. I used scotch tape around the edges to catch the paint and had to do 3 coats. Husband got some new hardware as well, to go with the new look.

Finally, using the same sandpaper, I roughed up the edges a little. It gives the table some character I think. I had a can of PU finish which I sprayed on top for some protection. I don't think it was absolutely necessary, but since I had it I thought 'Eh! Why not?'.

Now, with the leftover paint we shall start the next piece of furniture - a laminated cabinet in the same room.

Easy paint job

This month is paint month. I started with the easiest of the lot - wicker seats. The polish had worn off long ago and it was looking quite a junk yard piece. So a can of spray to the rescue.

I didn't need to sand or prime the surface. I just washed the seats with a water spray and let it dry for 2 days. Then just spray painted the whole thing. It dried up in a few hours but I kept it out to dry for 2 days just to be sure. I didn't want a dramatic change of colour - wanted to keep it light. Just make sure surrounding surfaces are covered with paper before spraying and the area is well ventilated.

Here's the before/after. Like I said, not a drastic change in colour, but it looks fresh and almost new.

Next up, study table. That's gonna take a bit of sanding. Not looking forward to that bit.